Rock Island Passenger Depot

The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad built this historic train station in 1888. Now home to a pub, it is a typical example of a small train station built in Iowa by a major railroad in the late 1800s. It is one-story tall and features segmental arched windows, lunette windows in the gable ends, and turned spindles used as eave braces. The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

Exactly who designed the depot is unknown. Construction began in September 1887 and appears to have ended in February 1888. Unlike most of the other small depots in Iowa at the time, the Oskaloosa depot was built of brick. This may have reflected the town's importance as the county seat or brick may have been sourced locally. The depot originally had separate men's and women's waiting rooms that were separated by the ticket agent and lunch counter. The building also had a baggage room and bathrooms.

Ten passenger trains arrived at the station each day. A freight depot, which no longer exists, was also built do the east. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt arrived by train to dedicate a new Y.M.C.A. Freight and passenger service were consolidated in the passenger depot in 1930. It is unclear how long the depot was used but in 1973 the Iowa Commission ordered it closed.

Naumann, Molly Myers. "Oskaloosa Passenger Depot." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. October 30, 1989. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/89001780_text.